Sri Chakra

The Source of the Cosmos

The Journal of the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam, Rush, NY

Blossom 14 Petal 4
December 2010
 Our
Thoughts
By the time this issue is published and released, I will have just returned from a quick trip to India, where I
will have submerged the remainder of my mother’s ashes and tried to do as much annadhanam as I possibly
could.
As I write this piece in October, I’ve been thinking a lot about how annadhanam is one of those funny
things that has changed over time, especially in relation to death rituals. Anyone who has attended Chitra
Poornima or Aadi Amavasya at the temple will know that during a tarpanam ritual, one will offer
something called pindams to the spirits of their ancestors. Pindams are small balls about two inches in
diameter that are comprised of five ingredients to symbolize the five components that make up the human
body (muscle, blood, etc.), and they are made to symbolically recreate the body during the ritual.
The five necessary ingredients are rice flour, water, banana, black sesame seeds, and ghee. If one is doing a
death ritual for a person who recently passed away and she was a sumangali as my mother was (died a
married woman), you would add a sixth ingredient—honey.
When my mother was growing up, her father would not only do an elaborate tarpanam ritual once a year
on the anniversary of his parents’ deaths; he would do a smaller scale one each month on Amavasya (the
new moon), along with buying and taking specific foods to give to a priest at the local temple. In this way, a
person would be feeding his or her ancestors (called pitru-devatas) through the body of a man who had a
limited source of income and who had dedicated his life to God.
This was typical of orthodox Brahmin families back then, and is still the custom for many families today, at
least in India (however, my last trip to India in 2007 yielded quite a surprise… nowadays the priests make
housecalls and hit about 10 houses per morning on Amavasya).
Here, however, we found it was another story altogether. My dad would gather together the same
amounts of fresh vegetables and grains and try to take it to a local temple priest each year on the
anniversaries of each his mother’s and father’s deaths. To his frustration and our surprise, no local priests
would take the food! He had to beg them to take it, and slip in $50 as well!
I asked Aiya why this was the case, suspecting it had something to do with the transference of karmas. I
was partially correct—back in the old days (and this only applies to Shaivite priests; I’m not sure of the case
with Vaishnavas), priests would be continuously chanting Rudram several times a day and would therefore
continuously be burning off their doshams. Karmically, they could easily afford to take the burden of
accepting food from someone who wished to donate, plus, they’d readily have dinner on the table that night.
It was a win-win situation.
When priests began to refuse to take the food, however, it was because they knew they were not doing
nearly enough Rudrams and japam overall to be able to avoid the karmic effects. Moreover, they didn’t need
the food anymore, especially when they began to earn more than enough to take care of their families.
Eventually, being a Brahmin stopped being associated with poverty and 100 per cent service to God.
So buying the fresh foods on Amavasya and getting the priests to take it started to become a problem and
stopped making sense… I mean, why were we trying to feed people who didn’t even need or want it? This is
where my mother found the perfect solution, which we’ve been practicing now for years.
Each month, we would go to the supermarket and buy the items we would normally give, but buy them in
a non-perishable manner: packages of rice, and canned vegetables, lentils and beans. We’d also throw in
pasta and sauce, noodles, baby food, juice, and some type of toiletries like soap. Then we would stop by at
any local fire station and drop it off in the bin as she said, “Pitru-devatam samarpayami,” all the while feeling like
we’d actually fed our ancestors through people who really needed to be fed.
Some of the best things my amma taught (and is still teaching) me have to do with keeping the sanctity of
traditions, but updating them to make sense and go beyond being empty rituals. In this way, they’ll live on
throughout generations and not only serve ourselves karmically, but make the world around us a little bit
sweeter to live in.
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha!

The Sri Chakra staff

2
 December
Newsletter
Since the last issue...
Aiya ties the upper half of a veshti onto the
flagpole, which is one of many steps to
completing the full dvaja-arohanam.
The first week or so of
September saw Aiya and Amma
travelling abroad, but they were
back before Ganesha Chaturthi on
the 11th. On the 18th, however,
Aiya arrived in North Carolina to
do workshops and pujas with the
devotees there for two or three
days.
The temple was packed on
Friday, October 1st for the raising
of the Navarathri flag (dvaja-
arohanam), and Navarathri took
place another eight days later.
After kulurthi, the unofficial final
day of the festival, the temple
family dispersed once again. That
Saturday Oct. 23, Aiya performed
a valaikappu ceremony (also known before Karthikai Vilakku and
as simanton or puja for an performed the puja on Nov. 20th.
expecting mother) in the The very next day, Aiya was due
yajnashala. north in Ottawa for a bhajan
He and Amma were also present session and CD release at the local
the weekend of Oct. 30 for the Sai Centre.
regular Saturday puja. That At the end of November, Aiya
afternoon, temple volunteers went to Arizona for a few days to
worked together to add the final meet with a yoga group and
coins on the Devi’s Lalita introduce them to the process of
Sahasranamam gold coin mala, puja and details of ritual worship.
which debuted during
Navarathri.
On Sunday the 31st, a Boston
family sponsored a full Chandi
homam, which lasted the entire
morning. At the end of that week
on Nov. 5, ladies who sponsored
the 21-day Kedara Gowri vratam
came to the temple that Friday
night. It was a very auspicious
day as the Devi’s silver kavacham
made its debut that evening.
There was no rest for the
volunteers as the very next night
was the first day of Skanda Sashti.
After six nights of celebrating
Lord Subramaniam, the final Sura
samharam and Valli & Devayani
kalyanam took place the following
Thursday the 11th.
Later in November, Aiya and
Amma left on a brief trip to
California to visit the devotees in The completed flag after the
the areas and do pujas at some of ceremony. This is how it stayed
their houses. They were back until the end of Navarathri.
3
The Devi’s everyday presence
Past Events
Ganapathi Chaturthi, Sept. 11
Due to great weather, the entire
festival took place outside on this
Saturday, with the whole kalasa-
sthapanam and Vancha-Kalpa
Ganapathi homam running its
course on the hardwood deck.
Sponsors sat for a total of eight
or nine kalasams that day, but
only the main sponsors sat for the
homam.
Devotees were also given the
chance to do tarpanam to
Ganapathi on the deck, as well as
milk abhishekam on the deck and
inside the temple.
After the morning puja wrapped
up at about 4 p.m., volunteers
hurried to prepare for Utsava
Ganapathi’s procession around
the temple that night.
Kedaragowri Vratam, Nov. 5
This vratam began when
Navarathri was not yet over, on
the evening of Saturday Oct. 16. It
was a most auspicious occasion as
Sri Akka was there that first
night, and received the first
prasadam. Throughout the 21
days, different ladies performed
the puja on different nights.
4
Sharada Navarathri, Oct. 8-17 Skanda Sashti, Nov. 6-11
After five days of Murugan’s
The temple’s brahmotsavam was
Sahasranama archana, the sixth
made extra special by the presence
day culminated in abhishekam,
of Sri Mathioli Saraswati
archana with lotus and rose
(affectionately referred to as Sri
petals, homam, and Murugan’s
Akka), for the last 3-4 days.
marriage to Valli and Devasena.
Until then, it was business as
The evening began at 6 p.m.
usual with a full kalasa-sthapanam
with abhishekam, followed by
being performed by volunteers
Murugan’s battle with Suran, an
each morning and the Devi
asura. After he speared and
receiving homam, abhishekam and
killed Suran with his Vel,
alankaram each afternoon. Every
Murugan was bathed in cold
third night, she was carried
water to cool him down. He was
around the temple by ladies and
then adorned with finery,
men alike, in her forms of Durga,
wedded to Devasena, then
Lakshmi and Saraswati.
secretly to Valli.
The third-last day of Navarathri
saw the grand Chandi homam and
chariot procession; the second-last
day was that of murthi
abhishekam outside; and the last
day was kulurthi. See some of
our festival photos on pages 6 and
7, and the full gamut at
www.srividya.org.
Karthikai Vilakku, Nov. 20 Karthikai Deepotsvam is a
festival of lights that marks the
day that Lord Shiva settled in
Thiruvannamalai in the form of
fire. On this auspicious night
millions of devotees perform giri
pradakshina around Annamalai
hill that spans around 14
kilometers. Devotees also savor
the sight of the flame lit atop the
hill, cherishing the age old belief
that it is a representation of
Shiva himself.
On the last night, about 150
At the temple, this event was
sponsors and their families arrived
celebrated on Saturday night
to do abhishekam to Sri
with the lighting of hundreds of
Ardhanareeshwara in the
deepams and tea candles
yajnashala. The same thiruvaasi
throughout the temple. The
background used for Akka was
highlight of the festival was the
used in the final alankaram.
emulation of Annamalai hill
After the puja, Aiya personally
using a Maha Meru and it was
gave out fruit and blouse-piece
aptly called “Meru Paravata”. As
prasadam and sharadu threads to
in Thiruvannamalai, eight Shiva
the sponsors.
lingams (Indra Lingam, Agni
Lingam, Yama Lingam, Niruthi
Lingam, Varuna Lingam, Vayu
Lingam, Kubera Lingam and
Esanya Lingam) adorned eight
directions around the “Meru
Parvata.” When all the lights
were finally lit, it was a
wonderful sight and it provided
an out of the world experience.

Upcoming Events
CD release and bhajans, Dec. 4
The temple’s followers in
Toronto typically look forward to
late November and early
December, as it is when Aiya and
our bhajan group come to
Scarborough to release their
annual CD.
This year, it will be Dravida
Vedam 7—the Thiruvempavai
songs sung each year for Lord
Nataraja’s annual festival during
Margazhi maasam. The group will
be coming to 20 Slan Avenue, at
Ellesmere and Scarborough Golf
Club Road.
The bhajans will start at 7 p.m.
and Aiya will give brief talks in
between songs.
In Three Months
Devi willing, the next issue of
the Sri Chakra will be up on the
temple’s website at the beginning
of March 2011.
This magazine cannot keep
publishing without
contributions! Articles, poems,
stories and photos about any
spiritual topic are welcomed.
The next deadline for article
submission is February 7. Please
e-mail us with your contributions
or feedback about this issue at
sri_chakra_mag@srividya.org or
talk to Kamya or Abhi at the
temple.
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha!
                 
The Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam ~ 6980 East River Road ~ Rush, NY 14543 ~ Phone: (585) 533 - 1970
The Devi’s everyday presence
Thiruvempavai, Dec. 12-21 Kids’ Matangi homam, Dec. 26
This is a uniquely Tamil festival The Matangi or Shyamala
organized around the songs of the homam is one of the liveliest times
Thirupalliyezuchi—songs based at the temple, and truly a sight to
on one friend waking another at see. It is a homam done
dawn to come with her and exclusively for the childrens’
worship Lord Nataraja. education, and is organized by
The music and words of these children for children.
songs are rife with devotion, and The under-21 crowd organize
dates from the ancient time of the and sit for the homam themselves,
Nayanmars, since the taking turns between offering
Thirupalliyezuchi was written by ahutis. In the days leading up to it,
Sri Manickyavasagar, himself. they decorate the inner sanctum,
Each morning, the puja begins at all the deities, and the yajnashala.
5 a.m., and anyone present will If your child wishes to sit and be
get a chance to participate. a sponsor for this homam, please
The final day is Ardhra call the temple immediately. This
Dharshanam, on which Lord is a very popular event and
Nataraja and Sivakami will be spaces fill up quickly!
fully bathed and given
alankaram. On this morning,
puja will start at 4 a.m. and will
also include traditional dancing
and plenty of sweet and savory
offerings.
Thai Pongal, Jan. 14
Pongal falls on a Friday this
year and the puja will most likely
be done by Shankar uncle if Aiya
happens to be away from the
temple. This is typically a short
event, but all those who attend
will get the chance to add grains
to the sakkarai pongal (sweet rice)
prepared and offered to the Devi.
Our deepest thanks and gratitude to this issue’s
v olunteer s: Aiy
olunteers: a, Me
Aiya, gha Chatter
Megha jee
jee,, R
Chatterjee amesh K
Ramesh utticad
Kutticad
and SS.. Shan g aranara
Shangaranaray y anan. A special thanks to V ilas
Vilas
Ank olekar ffor
Ankolekar or makin g muc
making muchh of this issue possible with
his quick efforts to supply two articles and most of our
photos
photos..
Upon rrequest
equest of the authorauthor,, par ts 2 and 3 of Apar
parts na
Aparna
Haslin g’
g’ss ar
Hasling’ tic
artic le,, Dissectin
le
ticle Dissectingg the Rudram , will not be
published in the Sri Chakra .
5
 The Devi’s everyday presence

It was a magical moment to watch our two Devis interact.

Navarathri
Navarathri
Sri Akka was welcomed with a mini-parade
on the property, as well as a full police
escort on the way to the temple.

memories

Aiya arranged for two stunningly

beautiful Belgian horses, each
at least 8 feet tall, to draw Sri
A detailed background of Devi Kamakshi’s Akka’s carriage. She was
throne was assembled especially for Sri thrilled as she rode in this
Akka’s visit. Here, she sat with a Sri Meru personal vahana as part of the
before her, which was made entirely of rice. chariot procession on Chandi
homam day.

Sri Akka peels

vegetables in
solidarity with
Amma and the
temple’s kitchen
volunteers for
Friday the 15th’s
mahaprasadam.

6
 The Devi’s everyday presence

Everyone participated in the grand chariot festival,

as well as the smaller palanquin processions that occurred every three nights throughout Navarathri.

The whole community got into

the fun on kulurthi day, on
which the Devi was showered
with various substances to
cool her down from the heat
generated from the preceding
days of worship.

Top: Sri Top: Jeilan got the

Shangaranarayanan honour of carrying
sat with Aiya for the fiery bali
Chandi homam pumpkin outside
Bottom: Sri Akka Bottom: All those
gave the children who went out for
a very special bali got their
vidyaarambam. festival doshams
removed.

7
The Devi’s everyday presence

Temple
Lore Devi talks to us—are
we ready to listen?
by Vilas Ankolekar

The stories of the devotees

at the Sri Rajarajeswari
Peetam create the very
essence of the temple’s
soul.
Aiya has verified all these
tales for their
authenticity, and he urges
devotees to share their
experiences for the benefit
of future generations. All
identities will be kept in
the strictest
confidentiality unless
otherwise requested.

Sri Gurubhyo Namaha.
It was the time when we had
just returned to Rochester from
three years of living in Maryland.
Although we lived in the
Rochester area for seven years
before we moved to Maryland
and we visited the temple
regularly, we were not connected
that much at all. It was when we
moved to Maryland, we realized
the value of Sri Vidya temple and
could see what we were missing.
When we returned to Rochester,
to make up for the three years of
lost time, we visited temple
regularly. In fact, we started
visiting the temple more than
regularly. Apart from Aiya and
Amma’s immense love and
affection, we were rewarded with
the acquaintances of many temple
devotees and their vast Sri Vidya
knowledge.
The devotees shared many
experiences that they had with
Devi. The legends varied from
sightings of Devi, devotees
conversing with Devi, among
many other several real life
experiences. It was during this
time that I was very fortunate to
get to know the late Smt.
Shyamala Ramaswamy. Smt.
Shyamala amma shared many
experiences that she had with
Devi. Once she witnessed Devi in
tears and it was the day when
Guru Garu attained Samadhi. On
a hot summer day she felt that the
Devi was breathing heavily and
was profusely sweating. Smt.
Shyamala amma started fanning
Devi and apparently that helped
Devi cool down.
It was true that these were real
experiences by real people. It was
also true that our faith towards
Devi grew immensely after
hearing these incidences. But,
there were elements of doubts too.
Could it be that the experiences
that devotees are claiming to have
are far stretched imaginations?
Could it be that they are just
making up stories? It was almost
like I needed to have a proof; that
the experiences are not
imaginations – they are real.
When I discussed my dilemma
with Smt. Shyamala amma, she
told me that these are real
experiences. In fact she told me

8

that Devi never stops
communicating; she constantly
communicates with you. But the
only problem, she said, is that we
are not ready to communicate
with her; we are not ready to
recognize the experiences that she
gives us.
It was a late summer evening in
2008. Days were long and it was a
hot summer day. After work I
went to the temple. Aiya was not
in town. There were not many in
the temple. As usual I went to see
the Devi. When I looked at Devi, I
felt something strange. I felt that
she was in tears. Maybe Devi was
in tears because Aiya was not in
town? Or was she feeling muggy
and sweaty? In any case, I
decided to take pictures of Devi
and show it to Aiya and to find
out what the reality was.
Immediately following my
decision, a thought came to me
that said not to take a picture of
the Devi crying. For a few
minutes, I was of two minds.
Eventually, I decided to ignore my
thought and got my camera from
my car. I removed the camera
from the bag and tried to click the
pictures. Interestingly, the
camera would not switch on.
The camera was hot and I felt it
was on for a long time. I noticed
that the camera battery was
completely drained out. It was
very strange to me that a camera
that had an auto shut-off feature
had its battery completely
drained out. Now, I was very
curious to find out if that was
really Devi’s work. Normally, I
carry a backup camera and I
Left: Shyamala
Ramaswamy
enjoys May
Festival 2009 with
her daughter,
Kamya, just
months before
her passing.
Below: Vilas
Ankolekar during
a previous year’s
Vijayadasami
celebrations.
The Devi’s everyday presence
decided to take pictures from my
second camera.
Strangely enough, I found out
that there was no battery in my
second camera. It was missing. It
looked as though Devi wanted to
prove a point. It was highly co-
incidental that I could not use
either of my cameras. At this
point I realized that it was stupid
on my part to ignore the thought
that told me not to take pictures. I
abandoned the idea of taking
pictures.
After offering namaskarams to
Devi and begging for her
forgiveness I returned home.
When I came back home I was still
curious to find out if my cameras
totally stopped working. I
replaced the batteries and checked
both of my cameras. Thanks to
Devi, they were both working.
They were rendered useless only
for a short duration.
From that day I am trying very
hard to focus and listen to my
thoughts. In my humble opinion,
I think that’s how Devi
communicates. I almost did not
listen to Devi during that summer
day incident. She did a trick with
my cameras and I was forced to
listen to her. Mrs. Shyamala
amma was right. Devi does
communicates with us, but only if
we are ready to listen!
9
The Devi’s everyday presence

We all love hanging out with Aiya,

Q & Aiya drinking tea, and sometimes getting some

guidance on how to travel down our own paths
to the Devi. Here’s an excerpt from a workshop
where he explained how to properly chant out
loud in a public puja or temple setting.

Q: How should a person say mantras out loud?

Aiya: Not mantras—Vedic chanting. There are certain principles one should follow: One, proper pronunciation.
Every syllable must be like it is being cut with a knife. Two, the sound must emanate from your belly, not from your
throat or higher. You go to some places where they’ve gotten so used to chanting, everything will sound nasally!
Three, don’t be too loud and don’t be too soft. Four, your voice must exert the proper pressure on the person who is
listening. This chanting isn’t only for you; it must apply the
proper pressure on the listener’s eardrums. Fifth, there’s the
observance of swaras. Purusha evedagm sarvam-mmm, yad
bhutam yaccha bhavyam-mmm. When you extend those sounds
in the right places, it stays within the mouth cavity for a
slightly extended period of time. That is enough to stimulate
the right nerves.
Last, there’s the shruti. If you don’t maintain the pitch,
it will sound awful. Very rarely do you have a group of
ritviks on the same pitch. When I had my 60th birthday and
they did the Rudra-gana abhishekam and homam for me in
Chidambaram, my God, I was in heaven. Those dikshitars
who came and sat, I’ve never heard any group so perfectly
together. We could learn from them at our temple!
If you have these things, you’ll be okay. But don’t
discount, if your attitude is in the proper place, you’ll be
blessed.

Q: So if we can make God appear before you attitude alone,

why do we need to do puja?

Aiya: There’s a famous story about how Sri Ramakrishna

Paramahamsa went to the Kali temple one time and
implored her to eat the tray of laddoos he had brought for
her. But he couldn’t see her eating and he starting crying,
saying, “Maa, eat it, eat it!”
And then suddenly she appeared, got in front of him
and started eating the laddoos. For the people who were watching, all they could see was Ramakrishna eating the
laddoos, himself! So they ran to the priest and told him, “Ramakrishna is eating Devi’s prasadam… what’s wrong
with him? Why are you allowing him to do this in the temple?” So he took a look.
He wasn’t able to see the Devi but he saw Ramakrishna there and the laddoos disappearing into thin air, one by one.
Then he fell at his feet, doing namaskaram to him. See, Ramakrishna was able to notice the Devi in every ordinary
conversation or action or anything going on around him.
When you are able to hear the pranavam going on like that, then you know you are ready to internalize the whole
thing. Until then, a basic discipline has to be there; you have to do the pujas outside, at least an aarthi.

Q: If we did a homam at the Ati Rudram, or if we chant at a Shiva temple, does all the worshipping we do only go to
him?

Aiya: To Shiva? He is not an individual. All the forms in this universe—Vishnu, Hanuman, Kamadhenu, Lakshmi,
Nandi, Kali, Tara, Sundari, Krishna, everybody’s in him. Remember the Visvarupam? See, when Arjuna saw Krishna
assume the Visvarupam form, he saw all the deities in all the worlds, and everything inside him.
This is the same, except with a different name. The Vaishnavites would call it Vishnu and Shaivites would call it
Shiva. I would call it Amma. It is not only for Shiva, don’t think that. Whatever is your ishta-devata, whatever worship
you perform will reach that devata.

10
 The Devi’s everyday presence

Mantra
Mantra Japam
Japam Meditation
Meditation on
on
Rajya
Rajya Shyamala
Shyamala by Ramesh Kutticad

The Rajarajeswari Peetam is fortunate enough to have come into contact with great Sri Vidya
upasakas from around the world. We are even more fortunate to have met those upasakas who
share a similar goal to that of our guru parampara—to share out their knowledge and experiences
of the Devi.
One of these beautiful souls is Ramesh Kutticad from Chennai, who Aiya has even described as
an encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes to the Mother. On a past trip to India, I was lucky
enough to meet Ramesh and record his knowledge of how to extract the maximum power from the
chanting of the Rajya Shyamala mantra. This is done by meditating on different areas on the
Mother while chanting the mantra to the point of complete fluency.—ed.

Aim Hreem Sreem, Aim Kleem Souh

Om Namo Bhagavati Sri Matangeeshwari
Sarva Jana Manohari Sarva Mukha Ranjani
Kleem Hreem Sreem

Sarva Raja Vashamkari, Sarva Stri Purusha

Vashamkari, Sarva Dushta Mrga Vashamkari, Sarva
Satya Vashamkari, Sarva Loka Vashamkari

Sri Rajarajeshwari [Trailokyam]* me vashamaanaya

svaha
Souh Kleem Aim, Sreem Hreem Aim

*Our Dattatreya parampara states Sri Rajarajeswari

Devi, but a more common form of this mantra slots
“Trailokyam” into this spot instead.

Aim Hreem Sreem, Aim Kleem Souh—hrdayam

Om Namo Bhagavati Sri Matangeeshwari—her green-
coloured form emblazoned on your heart
Sarva Jana Manohari—the Chandra kala sitting on her
head
Sarva Mukha Ranjani—her beautiful face, including her
half-opened eyes
Kleem Hreem Sreem—the two hands playing the veena

Sarva Raja Vashamkari—her two earrings made of shanka

Sarva Stri Purusha Vashamkari—her heavy breasts
Sarva Dushta Mrga Vashamkari—the parrot on her
shoulder
Sarva Satya Vashamkari, Sarva Loka Vashamkari, Sri
Rajarajeshwari [Trailokyam] me vashamaanaya svaha—the lotus
on which she is seated

Souh Kleem Aim, Sreem Hreem Aim—the merging of Devi

with the self.

11
The Devi’s everyday presence
A Fruitful Trip
by Megha Chatterjee
My husband and I first saw Aiya and got to
know about the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam in April
2007, through a workshop he conducted in
Toronto. Back then, Sri Vidya Upasana was a very
new concept to me, and I barely knew anything
much about the living tradition (I still don’t, in
truth, but I am learning). So the prospect of
attending an eight-hour workshop on “The How
and Why of Puja” seemed daunting—but we
decided to give it a try anyway, figuring that if it
was too boring we could always leave.
Once the workshop had begun, however, eight
hours seemed all too short. Aiya’s magnetism was
off the charts! We couldn’t take our eyes off him.
When Aiya spoke, it was evident that he was
speaking from experience, not just an intellectual
understanding; and that put life into everything he
said. Rather than feeling exhausted and bored, we
12
were sorry when the workshop was over, and
we came home feeling energized!
For a long time after that, we kept planning to
visit the temple, but our trip never materialized
until January 2009, when we took our then six-
month-old son for his annapraasana (first
partaking of solid food). Entering the main
sanctum was little overwhelming. I am not
talking about the energy one feels, etc.—I am a
little too dense for those things. I am talking
about the sheer regality of it. The grandeur is
like that of a palace, as it should be for the
Mother Empress sitting there in all Her majesty.
We were told that it was a full moon night and
hence Aiya would be doing a Sri Chakra puja.
Only later did we realize what a nice coincidence
that was. A lady at the temple told me to stand
in front of the Devi and look into Her eyes. “Soon
you’ll be able to see Her eyes for real,” she said. I
tried. Nothing happened. It didn’t surprise me,
really. I had never considered myself “worthy”
of such “miracles,” so there was no real
disappointment.
The Sri Chakra puja began and I saw everyone
making these intricate mudras and chanting
mantras and stotras at a speed I can barely
muster in my own mother tongue! As beautiful
as it was to witness, it was also intimidating.
Still, my attraction to both the temple and to
Aiya grew. I began reading various issues of The
Sri Chakra time and again to keep in touch with
the feeling I got during my visits there. The
section called “Temple Lore,” with all of its
miracle stories, always amazed me, but it also
disturbed me on some level. I felt the same when
I read Corinne Dempsey’s book, The Goddess Lives
in Upstate New York, which is also full of intriguing
miracle stories from many of Aiya’s longtime
disciples.
Obviously, these special stories make it into the
written word only when people choose to share
them—but somehow it begins to seem as though
everyone other than you is in some way
“special.” They are special to Devi; they are
 The Devi’s everyday presence

special to Aiya; and they are only I got a little excited. I wondered I write this article not to join the
so because they are “worthy” of if the mango was meant for me. ranks of those “special people of
having such experiences. But being quite skeptical about the written word,” but rather to
No matter how much you try the nature of such things, and not thank everyone who has
and reason with yourself that this wanting to assume I was being contributed to this magazine for
“special-ness” is due to past-life graced by a “miracle,” I thought, the inspiration they have given
karmas and so on, it never quite “Well, if this is meant for me, then me in my low moments—and that
subdues that underlying feeling of someone will tell me so.” they continue to give me over
not being good enough. We all Still, even as I resolved to not repeated readings. I also write it
have our own inner demons to jump to any conclusions and for those who may be assailed by
fight, and I guess this is one of claim that mango, I have to admit self-doubt, as I am.
mine: never feeling that I am I felt a little deflated. What were If this article serves to inspire
“good enough.” the chances that somebody would even one person then I would
Despite such self-doubts, I appear out of thin air and tell me have honoured the true meaning
finally found the courage this to take the mango? I thought that of Ganapathi’s blessing. For only
August to approach Aiya and ask even if Ganapathi had kindly now, as I write this, do I realize
him if he would initiate me. I was given me a mango as His blessing, that His blessing wasn’t meant
nervous, of course. I thought he the condition I laid down for just for me; it is meant for all
might turn me down, due to my accepting it had severely reduced those who may think of
various shortcomings. But my chances of receiving it; and themselves as undeserving.
without a moment’s hesitation he that I would, in all probability, In His blessing, He taught me
said, “Of course, I will.” Then he walk away empty-handed. that one doesn’t have to know all
asked me if my “mate” was there, Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the mudras and stotras and
and he initiated my husband as a long-time lady devotee walked mantras to receive God’s love.
well. It was, of course, a most past me and said, “Take a fruit.” I That one doesn’t have to be “good
significant day for both of us. was stunned. I was so overcome enough;” that one doesn’t have to
A few weeks later, we visited the with emotion. Not only had be anything. We are all loved just
temple for Ganesha Chaturthi. Ganapathi graced me with a the same. God and Guru are
After homam and a late-afternoon tangible blessing; He had also forever there with Their
lunch, Aiya was presiding over a taken the pains to reassure me unconditional love.
marriage ceremony and everyone that it was really meant for me. May we learn to love everyone
was inside the temple. My The skeptic in me disappeared. I in the same way that we are loved
husband and I had left the temple was sure now it was no by Them. With that hope and
building so that our two-year-old coincidence. prayer, Sri Gurubhyo Namaha.
son could run around without
disturbing anyone. The property
of the temple was almost
deserted.
I had recently read Kathy Allen’s
article, “Bathing Dvara
Ganapathi” in The Sri Chakra’s
November 2007 edition. In the
article, Kathy mentions the
“secret” that anyone who looks at
Dvara Ganapathi’s manjal spot on
the trunk is sure to receive a
blessing.
So I walked up to Ganapathi and
stared at the manjal spot for a
while, praying to Him with all my
heart to overlook my
shortcomings and accept my
limited notions of love and
devotion. As I stood there sharing
my thoughts with Him, I heard a
rustling sound and saw a mango
tumble down from somewhere
behind Ganapathi’s garland, and
settle among the other fruits lying
at His feet.

13
The Devi’s everyday presence

The Guru, Sishya, and

Tripura Rahasya
by Sri S. Shangaranarayanan

There is one thing people do not and we become I (the guru enabling him to transgress time
realize when they are himself).” That means the sishya and distance, and be available to
worshipping God in the form of a always merges with the guru and the absolute needy disciple at
Statue. God has no mind and God NOT the guru merging with the times of distress.
has no will, either. These things sishya, similar to all rivers The difference between the
are bestowed by nature on the merging with the ocean. cosmic mind and other minds is
guru, and the guru, who has an Another important thing to that the cosmic mind has no
iron will and pure mind, remember is a capable guru is complexities, grossness, illnesses,
transmits his total divine energy self-realized, having undergone or barriers of any kind. It can
to the sishya or seeker who comes and experienced the divine transform at will from anything
to him for salvation. This can through the blessings of his guru to anything, whereas ordinary
happen only when you consider parampara and finally merging human minds have barriers and
your guru as an adept with Himself with the Ogatrayam or can do nothing impressive.
capabilities to transmit by his Guru Mandalam. Therefore, he For instance, if Haranji wants to
“will” the total divine energy of possesses the cosmic mind, help someone say, in Ethiopia, he
the God, Gurus and the Guru
Mandalam to you.
A capable guru will be able
to connect his soul with the
sishya’s soul, and bridge the
gap between them, so they
become two bodies but only
one soul—this is the Advaita
Vedanta Haranji (Aiya) is
always talking about—non-
duality between the
worshipper, the worshipped,
and the act of worshipping,
which becomes so easy for
the sishya to emulate when
he is within the Divine vision
of the capable Master. In Sri
Vidya, this is called Tripura
Rahasya.
When the guru connects his
soul with the soul of the
sishya they become one, even
though the body and mind
are different. The common Sri Shangaranarayanan and Aiya holding the Navarathri festival kalasam this year before
dictum is applicable here, abhishekam. Sri Shangaranarayanan has attended several festivals at the temple.
that “I and You become we

14
 The Devi’s everyday presence

can do it from Rochester by transmitting the divine energy in him, and he can materialize and de-
materialize himself even in physical form and help the devotee crying for help. There have been many
instances where Haranji had helped devotees in far off places—mentally, morally, physically, financially and
spiritually. There are no barriers for his extending his help in any manner whatsoever to any real seeker.
With respect to the realized, this grace has transcended time and distance. To attain such a level of
elevation, one should go beyond idol worship to ideal worship and see his/her guru as the Divine Mother
herself. The sishya should always remain connected soul-to-soul with the guru—interaction for integration
with the soul of the guru. Without the use of body and mind, it is totally impossible to attain such a state of
“being to becoming,” no matter what tapas or worship you do.
Most of you must know about meditation—dhyana is the end of Sri Vidya. Prayer is always begging and
meditation is always getting the essence of what you meditate. If you meditate on the living form of your
guru then you get reality, which is his essence.
So when you’re doing dhyana, better to have the living form
of your guru before you, develop soul-to-soul interaction, and
always observe what is happening inside your heart. You
will then know that Haranji is always transmitting his soul’s
divine energy to you and He is no different from the Divine
Mother.
This connection cannot happen without the guru’s presence
and total participation in your meditation. When you are
focused internally and the guru is also there, then you
develop “silence in silence” and duality no longer exists, as
the sishya has merged with the guru and transcended time
and distance. Your identity as well as the identity of the guru
is lost, and as both have merged themselves in each other,
duality is lost. All that remains is your body and mind and
the difference between you and the guru is lost forever.
When we’re doing homams here, we’re doing ajya-ahuti
(offering of ghee)—into the sacred fire. When you are offering
your soul to the guru in meditation, the guru has no choice
except to accept your soul as your offering and merge the
same with His soul. This is called prana-ahuti.
This is what we also do when we install the soul of the
Divine Mother in the fire, kumbham, kalasam, Sri Yantra etc.,
through trikanda mudra, which indicates the Tripura Rahasya. Knowing for certain that there is absolutely no
difference between the guru and the Devi, one should always be in constant remembrance of the guru in his
heart.
See, people want the benefits but they can’t take the simple step of offering their souls to the guru. By this
process nobody is going to die! You will only become more alive, brimming with more divine energy than
ever before and your improvement in terms of material, physical and spiritual benefits increase
considerably. One is able to have a divine, energized environment all around him, develop compassion,
never possess the guru and provide ample opportunities for others to interact with the guru.
It is very important to understand that too much popularity with the guru brings contempt. One should
at no time thrust their opinions onto the guru, disturb him in any manner whatsoever, show oneself as if he
is a favoured person of the guru in public, interfere in his activities and trying to influence him in carrying
out the temple protocol and connected spiritual activities.
A realized person who has totally merged with the guru to become the guru shall be silently interacting
with the guru and helping him in all his activities silently. Let each one of you try to become Haranji and

15
The Devi’s everyday presence
every assigned job will be carried
out meticulously as if Haranji is
doing it himself. Then you will
gather no samskaaras and your life
will really be worth living.
See, this is why I like Haranji so
much. It is not typical for a guru
to become so close with so many
of His sishyas, but he has given so
much of himself and all the
liberties to all of you. Also why I
                 
Story
Stor y time
Aiya
with Aiy
Aiya
While volunteers dress
the Devi each week
during the Saturday
puja, Aiya usually tells
the crowd a short story
about some aspect of
the divine. Just before
the final day of Kedara
Gowri vratam, he told a
tale of how important
this puja is for the
prosperity of a
community.
16
love him, simply for that matter,
is he is beyond caste and creed.
That’s something I have never
seen in Sri Vidya. I’m drawn
towards him only for that reason.
Going back to what I was saying
before about the seeker going
through the guru because God has
no will—there is a lot of difference
between faith and good faith.
When you have faith, you go to
Haranji and
ask him to
bless you
with
something
once, twice,
three, four,
five times
and even
harass him,
unmindful
of his
conveniences.
But only
the real
sishya who
has good
faith in his
guru will
Close to Pazhani in Tamil Nadu,
there is a village called Kodha
Mangalam. In the early part of
this century in this village, a
sannyasi used to roam. His name
was known variously as Kodha
Mangalam Swamiyar and he was
also known as Maanoor
Swamiyar, because apparently he
lived in a small village called
Maanoor (also close to Pazhani)
for a long time.
How old was he? Sightings have
been reported of him by the very
old people in the village when
they were small children, and
back then he looked exactly the
same.
A family had lived in Kodha
Mangalam for several centuries
and their last known descendant
was called Venchina Goundar.
ask him only once and then forget
about it. That complete belief in
the guru, coupled with
detachment is the mark of a truly
evolved sishya.
My prayers to the Divine
Mother are that every one of you
should become “Haranji” and not
his amsam but the whole aspect of
him. To achieve this, you have to
emulate his qualities, actions,
reactions, power and at least try
to imitate him in gestures,
behaviours etc., so that one day
you will really become Haranji.
Don’t you think that once you
become at least 50 percent of your
guru, then the temple will grow
by leaps and bounds and there
will be no negativity anywhere?
It is the responsibility of every
one of you to be of service to the
Guru Haranji whose dream is to
expand the temple in a big way in
the years to come, and fill it up
with total spirituality. Remember
in your efforts the guru, parama-
guru and parameshti-guru are all
there to help you. Achieve the
goal and be one with Haranji.
May God bless you all.
It so happened that for anybody
approaching Maanoor Swamiyar,
if he knew you were going to ask
him for something material—
money, a house, etc.—if you had
that in mind and approached him,
he would throw stones at you and
then run away. However, for any
spiritual question, he would sit
there and calmly and very
patiently answer all your
questions. The only thing that he
was able to give in the form of
material things was food.
One time, for seven years in
Kodha Mangalam, there was no
rain. The fields dried up, there
was no chance for irrigation, and
the village faced starvation. And
it so happened that Maanoor
Swamiyar was walking on the
side of the now dried-up tank and

Venchina Goundar went up to
him and said, “Swami, it hasn’t
rained for seven years, we don’t
have any food… how are we
going to survive?”
So Maanoor Swamiyar looked at
him and in typical village style
said, “It hasn’t rained. If you go
onto the paddy fields that you’re
so crazy about and make pongal,
it will rain.” Venchina Goundar
asked when they should do that,
and Swami said to do it that day.
So they gathered everyone at the
temple where Venchina Goundar
announced what Swami had told
him—as many families as
possible should gather and make
their pongal in the paddy fields.
So half the village said, “Look at
the sky. You can’t see a cloud
visible anywhere… how can we
think it’s going to rain?” Venchina
Goundar said he didn’t know, but
this is what Swami instructed
them to do.
So skeptical families didn’t show
up that night, but some families
that had even a semblance of faith
brought out their materials, and
in about 25 minutes started
The Devi’s everyday presence
making pongal (that’s sweet rice) villagers—including the males—
in the paddy fields. This was in must start observing Kedara
the middle of the night. At about Gowri vratam. It is not actually
4 a.m., the winds started picking Kedara Gowri vratam; it is
up. And then in 15 minutes, Kedareshwara vratam. That
nobody knew from where it came, means worship to Shiva to
but it clouded over and it rained become one with him, or to
cats and dogs! achieve undifferentiated bliss
And in every house where they with Shiva.
were skeptical and refused to So Maanoor Swamiyar was
make the pongal, rain broke instrumental in re-starting the
through vratam in that Kodha Mangalam
their village. About 10 years later, he
ceilings appeared in 12 different villages
and flooded at the same time and told the
only these people, “I am going to take
houses. Samadhi.” And in every village
For all the he instructed the villagers to
others who build a small Samadhi for him
had gone and at each site, he walked in, sat
out that down, and left the world.
night, So Maanoor Swamiyar ’s
nothing Samadhi exists in 12 different
happened villages in and around Kodha
to their Mangalam. Each village claims
homes. his Samadhi as the original one.
The next Even now when people go to any
morning, of these Samadhis at night and
Venchina offer pongal, he appears to them,
Goundar and will come and eat the food.
went to the
temple where Maanoor Swamiyar
was seated quietly.
Swami told him
that years ago in
this village, in that
very temple, they
used to observe
Kedara Gowri
vratam. About 20
years previous, one
of the ladies doing
the puja was not
given a blouse
piece or sari and so
the Devi went
away from that
village.
He told Venchina
Goundar that once
again, all the
17
The Devi’s everyday presence

Sri Gurubhyo Namaha

18